"A gas game": Ryan Blaney slams NASCAR drivers relying on  fuel saving strategies in superspeedway racing

Ahead of the superspeedway playoff race at Talladega this Sunday, Ryan Blaney shared his take on the hot topic of fuel mileage. Ever since the Daytona 500 at the start of this season, the practice of drivers using the fuel mileage strategy has been a divisive subject.

Some believe that it is the modern superspeedway's demand. Others believe that saving fuel and not putting your foot on the throttle, all the time is not in the spirit of NASCAR racing.

Recently, the defending Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney was asked for his take on the evolution of fuel mileage in the sport, and how it has got to this point. The #12 driver opened up on his dislike for fuel mileage strategy, claiming that in his opinion, no driver likes it. He said:

"It’s kind of just turned into a gas game... I think it’s just gotten this way mainly because it’s hard to make up spots anymore. This car is so draggy that the third lane, especially here, Daytona is better because it’s more handling, but here handling is not a big thing so the third lane just kind of hurts. The bottom lane isn’t lifting like you have at turn four of Daytona to where the top can kind of get rolling late in a run. I feel like you’ve got to take drag off of these cars at these places to just where handling becomes a little bit more of an issue," Blaney described.

The Team Penske driver emphasized that the Next Gen cars are draggy and because they drive too good at superspeedways, it's tough to make up positions.

Blaney added that by now, almost every driver has clarity about the fuel mileage strategy. They are playing right now to be better than their rivals.

Besides Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin also wasn't a fan of fuel saving strategy at Brickyard 400 earlier this year

After the Brickyard 400 earlier this year, Denny Hamlin voiced his opinion against the fuel mileage strategy many drivers have employed at superspeedways this season.

Hamlin claimed that the Brickyard 400 was 'frustrating' because it was too similar to the other superspeedway races from 2024. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran further said:

"I'm so tired of running fuel mileage races where we're all running half-throttle. I wish we could do something about it but...it helps you sometimes...it hurts you sometimes."

Hamlin added that during these races, drivers are one caution away from things not turning out as per their plans. And when that happens, they get into 'a weird fuel window' where they're short on fuel and have no other option but to save.

It'll be interesting to see how this Sunday's Cup race at Talladega turns out in terms of the fuel strategy.